


The New Story of Camp Half-Blood

by TwoPalsWriting



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Humor, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Demigods, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-06-30 23:24:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15761850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoPalsWriting/pseuds/TwoPalsWriting
Summary: This fic is a very long slice of the many lives of various different people told from their perspective. Follow along with the most unlikely demigod couple and all the friends they make along the way.(Tags, warnings, and relationships will be updated as the story goes on.)





	1. A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! So this fanfiction is a bit different from most, at least we like to think so. It is based on an ongoing Percy Jackson roleplay between two best friends that has been going on for more than four years now. These characters are for the most part brand new to the universe, although many of them are based on characters from other series and fandoms. We will be trying to stick to the content of our original roleplay but we are always open to suggestions along the way for people or storylines you would like to see added to the main plot. (Not gonna lie though, after four years these things are probably already going to be there at some point.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story begins! An unlikely pair meets, and not in a good way.

Aster was running.  
Well... being chased by a large fire-breathing monster. Which, naturally, was a big problem. Especially since he was already too badly injured and couldn't fight the monster himself. With his arm hanging limply at his side, blood soaking through his makeshift bandage and the tattered remains of his orange camp shirt; the only thing he could think was, 'Get to camp. Fast.' However, before crossing the border he saw a vaguely familiar figure standing guard near the base of Thalia’s tree.

As Aster approached he was able to make out in detail the newest addition to Camp Half-Blood, a short boy maybe about five foot two, who looked as though he was almost being swallowed by his new armor. With striking blue eyes and jet black hair, he looked almost like a younger, more milquetoast version of one of the campers everyone was much more fond of. Aster, fearing for his life, used his last bit of strength to wave his uninjured arm to get the boy’s attention. The kid didn’t seem like much, but he was all Aster had right now.

"Move your arse kid! It’s coming!" He snapped, his tone sharp and his Aussie accent thick. The young teen stood there with wide eyes, shaking in his shoes as the monster approached behind Aster at full speed. The large creature was ten feet long with the head of a lion and the scaley green back end of a dragon; hissing and spitting from behind it was a venomous rattlesnake tail. To top it all off, perched on the back of this monstrosity was a bleating goats head. Of all things. 

The teen standing guard most likely didn’t know this, but Aster had been fully aware- they were dealing with a Chimera. With the beast gaining ground Aster turned to try and make a stand, though what he ended up doing in his weakened state was stumble over his own feet and land himself on the ground only yards away from the border. Aster swore lowly to himself, unable to stand again and slowly starting to lose consciousness. As his vision went dark, his breathing became more ragged, and crimson blood stained the grass, the defeated camper mumbled to himself, “I’m going to die.” 

Seeing the larger and more experienced camper go down caused something to click in the new camper’s mind. He couldn’t just do nothing. “We’re both going to die.” The teen whispered to himself before drawing his mildly unbalanced sword and charging into battle, or rather, stumbling his way down the hill towards Aster. The boy nearly fell on the aforementioned sword multiple times before reaching the other demigod. He looked up only to realize he was nose to nose with the Chimera’s lion head. He swallowed hard as he took in the murderous eyes of the beast and saw what he could only assume was the older campers blood matting its once golden mane before raising his sword with shaking hands. 

The moment the frightened demigod raised his weapon, something caught the corner of his eye. Pure instinct took over for a brief moment and in one fluid motion, he sliced downward with blinding speed. He was taken completely by surprise when he felt his sword cut through the tough skin of the tail and the head of the snake landed at his feet. There was a minuscule pause as the shock of what just happened hit him and the teen looked from the dismembered snake head to the sword in awe, “Did I just-” His moment of glory was brought to a screeching halt as the lion head let out a bellowing roar in response. The surprised camper panicked, jumping back and reacting without thinking. He instinctively threw his only defense against the beast, the sword, still dripping with remnants of snake venom at the lion’s face.

To his utter surprise, the sword found a fairly decent target; instead of bouncing harmlessly off the monster’s head like the young demigod had thought it would, the blade instead disappeared up the lion’s left nostril. This unexpected victory for the boy caused the lion to let out a pained bellow as it began flailing around and swinging at its own face in an attempt to remove the weapon from its nose. The blue-eyed teen was dumbfounded, astonished even. He was frozen for a fraction of a second, unintentionally basking in the result of his goof.

The sound of Aster groaning at his feet brought him out of it though. “Oooooh shit...” He whispered as he remembered the whole reason he almost killed himself. The much smaller boy did his best to hoist Aster up by kneeling down and wrapping the uninjured arm around his own shoulders. In the process of attempting to stand, he quickly realized the giant mass of unconscious teenager would be too much for him to lift as the two of them tumbled forward and hit the ground once again. Swearing under his breath, a slight accent had crept into the smaller camper’s voice as he quickly scrambled out from underneath Aster. The monster continued to flail frantically a couple feet away but the teen knew he didn’t have much time; so as undignified as it may have looked he quickly grabbed Aster by the ankles and started dragging him through the dirt towards the safety of the camp’s border. 

As he approached the tree, getting within ten feet from safety, the Chimera finally managed to dislodge the sword from its nose. The demigod looked up when he heard the roaring come to a halt and turn to a low and rather annoyed growl. Their eyes met for a moment, blood dripping from the beast’s face before it suddenly charged, heading straight for the now defenseless campers. Before the small teen could really react to the new development, a large cluster of more experienced demigods rushed from inside the border and toward the angry monster. 

Having heard the commotion from their place at the volleyball court, the mixed group of Apollo and Ares children had raced up the hill to investigate. Seeing the Chimera caused the Ares campers to rush forward and start to take the beast on while the Apollo campers were much more concerned with Aster who was still sprawled in the dirt, bleeding and unconscious.

The newest demigod barely had time to process what was happening as the monster closed in. Unarmed and powerless, as far as he was aware, he could only duck down over his injured companion and throw his arms up in an attempt to shield them both from what was coming. The seemingly pointless- until now- goat head sticking up from the Chimera’s back locked onto its target and belched out a torrent of white-hot flame towards the boys.


	2. Douchebags and Boo-Boos. No Relation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster wakes up, the story continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Two chapters in the same night!  
> Hope you all enjoy this, feel free to leave reviews or other notes in the comments :)

Aster woke up hours later with his whole body feeling like he had… well, been mauled by a Chimera. He peeled open his heavy eyes and slowly looked around in an attempt to recognize his surroundings. The injured camper was greeted with the much too familiar insides of Camp Half-Blood’s infirmary. He sighed quietly before trying to sit up, only to be rewarded with pain shooting up his arm and fire racing through his chest. immediately groaning and laying back down again. Everything burned and he wanted to die. As that thought crossed his mind, he remembered the dark haired boy who saved him. All pain was replaced immediately with panic. Had the younger demigod survived? “OI!” He shouted out loudly. “Anyone hear me? Hello?!” Yelling hurt his chest more than moving had, but he was much too distressed to focus on it.

Hearing the newest patient calling out for help a young blond girl in an orange camp shirt, identical to the shirts donned by everyone else, came running in. “Hey! Hey, it’s okay!” She hurried to his bedside, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. “Just try and relax, you went through quite the fight earlier… you’re going to need a little time to heal.” Her voice was soothing and gentle, reminiscent of someone who was a good fit for a hospital setting; she was most certainly a child of Apollo.

The injured teen roughly drew back from her touch, inexplicably agitated, and frowned at her calm demeanor. “Where’s the kid? The one with the eyes. I mean- the one who saved me. Blue eyes?” He searched his, admittedly very fuzzy, memory in an attempt to give her more to go on. “Dark hair, short... Dammit! The only other bloke there!” He insisted, growing more frustrated at his own lack of ability to articulate his concerns.

The Apollo camper looked a little confused, “I… don’t think anyone matching that description came in here with you.” She admitted, “The only people that came in were some of my siblings and a couple of the Ares kids who helped take down the Chimera after you passed out.” She explained, trying to think back just to be sure. “Once you’re calmed down a bit I can call one of them in here to talk to you?” She offered, “They might know who you’re asking about.”

One of Aster’s eyes twitched and his fist clenched at his side. “I am calm!” He snapped before actually hearing himself and taking a slow deep breath. “Sorry, yes. I am calm.” He promised, giving her a slightly apologetic smile. “I… I would appreciate it if you did that. I want to know if he’s okay.” He added, really hoping that since the blue-eyed boy wasn’t in the infirmary it meant that he was in a cabin somewhere uninjured rather than the alternative.

The blond haired healer relaxed, she had been ready for a fight when he snapped at her, however, it was a bit of a relief when he calmed down on his own. The girl nodded, “Alright… I’ll try and find one of my siblings who brought you in, but while I do that I want you to drink this.” She picked up a glass from the night table next to his cot, it was full of a familiar amber liquid with a couple ice cubes and a bendy straw. She placed it in Aster’s uninjured hand, making sure he was okay to hold it before turning to leave the room.

Aster took the cup and smiled at the bendy straw before looking back up at the blond. “Wait!” He called. “What was your name?” He asked, “I want to thank you for all that you’ve done.” The girl turned around at the door and smiled softly, “I didn’t do much of anything really.” she said honestly, “But my name’s Jess.” With one more fleeting smile she then hurried out of the room.

A few minutes later a tall, brown haired boy walked into Aster’s room. He certainly didn’t look like a child of Apollo with his lack of blond hair and blue eyes. He stood nearly as tall as Aster with a much bulkier build and multiple scars decorating his face and arms. The kid smiled at Aster, he was missing a couple teeth, most likely from his lack of flossing. “Hey Bunny, what’s up?” He asked, using Aster’s usual nickname.

Aster huffed and rolled his eyes, but was admittedly confused by the son of Ares’ presence. “Nathan? What are you doing here?” He asked, tilting his head as he looked up at the other camper. He shifted a bit in his cot, moving to sit up so he could talk to the other camper and drink his nectar without choking.

“Jess sent me in.” Nathan answered, leaning on the wall, crossing his arms, “She said you were asking about someone, some other camper.” The boy paused, picking some dirt from under his fingernail. “It sounded like you were talking about the new guy.” He continued, “But I honestly can’t see why _you_ would care about _him_. He’s nobody, and it isn’t like he really did anything useful out there to begin with.”

Aster frowned at Nathan’s obvious resentment. “What are you talking about? He saved me. I have to thank him, or something, right? Even if he didn’t fight, he got help. I’d be dead now if it weren’t for…” He trailed off, frowning a bit more as he realized he was getting defensive over a new kid he didn’t even know. His brows furrowed and he looked up at Nathan, “What did you say his name was?”

Nathan rolled his eyes, “Fuck if I know man! I’ve never talked to him and I really don’t want to.” He waved his hand dismissively at the idea, “If you want to waste your time thanking him for nothing, be my guest; but you’ll have to find him first.” He pushed himself off the wall, “He ran off after we took down the Chimera, maybe towards the beach? Just try and find the trail of piss that he probably left.” The Ares camper, being the epitome of a douchebag, threw up two fingers as he headed for the door. “Duces Bunny, got places to be.”

Aster rolled his eyes at his not exactly friend and set the half empty glass to the side. “Oh boy, thanks for that fuckwit.” He muttered to himself since the son of Ares was already gone. He looked down at his own body and poked a finger at the bandages on his chest, wanting to see if the slash marks were healed underneath. “Eh… good enough.” He mumbled and swung his legs off of the bed, grunting slightly with effort as he pushed himself up to stand.

Aster wobbled a bit after getting up on his feet, but once he gave himself a moment to regain his balance, the determined camper nodded stubbornly and started towards the door himself to start his hunt for the teen with the pretty eyes who saved his life.


	3. The Hug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aster finds the boy who saved him and they begin getting to know each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter, just for you. Let us know what you think!

What a hell of a first week for the newbie. 

The young demigod had seen and experienced far more strangeness in his short time here at Camp Half-Blood than he ever thought he would. That was really saying something, considering his life before arriving there. After being greeted by an ancient magical half horse and a literal god, getting fitted rather poorly for armor and thrown into monster fighting classes, the teen had finally hit his limit for weird shit. He had just fought off a scaly lion monster and gotten burned by a fire-breathing goat’s head. Since when does that shit happen to people?!

The boy was sitting in the sand on the beach, behind him the trees of the forest swayed in the light breeze while the waves of Long Island Sound lapped gently against the shore. It was hard to imagine that only hours ago he had been fighting for not only his own life but someone else’s. He thought back to Half-Blood Hill, the moments after that dumb goat head tried to end them in a fiery blaze of  _ not  _ glory had been nothing but chaos and pain. Shielding his new companion had cost the dark haired teen rather dearly, his arms were left red and blistered with some of the skin even blackened and peeling from the intense heat. In the haze of shock and pain, he barely remembered the Apollo kids pulling the two of them out of the way while the Ares campers fought off the monster.  

The next thing he knew, the beast had been reduced to a pile of golden dust just outside the border and all of the blond-haired Apollo children were bustling around Aster, attempting to stabilize him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong hand pulled the unclaimed demigod off the ground by the front of his armor and roughly pinned him against Thalia’s tree. He coughed as the force jostled the air from his lungs but was met with an angry brown haired teen who looked like a dentist’s wet dream. Had this kid ever even heard of floss? 

“The fuck is your damage kid?!” The angry son of Ares snapped. “Are you trying to get people killed? Who goes around  _ trying  _ to fight a Chimera?” He jostled the smaller boy roughly, “Don’t pick battles you can’t win dumbass- look at you!” The son of Ares smacked him against the tree again before dragging him closer to where Aster was still sprawled on the grass being treated. “Look what happened! He could die because you’re such a sorry excuse for a demigod, this is not a fucking game! Just look at what you’ve done!” The Ares camper turned around and pushed the frightened teen away, “Fuck off, you’ve done enough damage.”

With that, in pain and shaken to his core, the new kid turned away, riddled with guilt. How had he fucked up so bad? Scared of what might happen next he had taken off running from the hill. Now he was here, sitting on the beach as the sunset turned this shitty day into a shitty night.

As the sky continued to darken the teen was busy taking in the burns on his arms. With the adrenaline from the fight wearing off the pain of his injuries was really setting in, he hissed through gritted teeth as he tried to carefully wipe some of the sand off his blistered skin. Sighing shakily he scooched a little closer to the water and reached out to submerge his hands. Right before his hands could meet the water's surface, he was disrupted by a loud voice booming across the beach.

“Oi! There you are!” Aster exclaimed, spotting the scrawny demigod and storming over. “I’ve been looking for you for eighty-seven years now!” He complained. “I’m ancient, look at me, I’m greying.” He motioned to his head. “Wait, shit! Are you okay?” He asked, actually looking at the other for the first time now that he was closer and seeing how red the other camper’s arms looked and the black soot covering his fingers; though he not quite close enough to see the full extent of the injuries. 

The burned camper jumped when he heard the sudden shouting, pulling his arms away from the water and turning to look for the source of the noise. Who he saw was the teen he had tried to save back on the hilltop, bandaged up and clearly annoyed but very much alive, and thank the gods for that. Without the chaos of the battle, the smaller boy was now able to properly take in Aster’s appearance. As noted before he was much taller and stronger than him, and very clearly Australian. His skin was tanned and his arms covered in tribal-esque tattoos that stretched from his shoulders down to his wrists. His hair oddly enough was an ashen grey, choppy, and spiked on top with thin braids draping down one side. As he got closer his eyes became clearer, a bright but natural sort of green, and the smaller teen noticed an odd pattern of freckles on his face, making it almost appear as if he had whiskers.

It took a moment for the boy to register what Aster had actually said and his eyes widened a bit, his first reaction was to hide his injuries. He quickly put his arms down at his sides, just trying to keep them out of Aster’s line of sight. “Y-yeah…  yeah, I’m fine.” He stammered, looking down to avoid eye contact. The young demigod was really growing nervous, why was this guy looking for him? He was probably pissed about what happened back on the hill… Was Aster about to beat him up? Or just yell at him? Maybe both? Or even something worse… His mind was racing and he had physically started trembling as his imagination ran wild.

The longer Aster waited for an answer the faster he could hear the seated boy’s heart race. Clearly, he was scared of something. Aster looked behind him just in case, then frowned back down at the teen. “Uh… Am I missing something?” He asked uncertainly. “What's got you all riled up? Your heart’s thumping a mile a minute, mate.”

Although he was admittedly confused by the comment about his heartbeat, the smaller camper was still pretty much convinced he was about to be beaten up, which overshadowed his confusion. He scrambled to his feet quickly, still keeping his eyes on the sand, “Listen… I-I’m really sorry, I should have done better on the hill… I really did try to help… I should have just gotten someone else… I-I promise I won’t be so stupid next time…” He took a small step back, shutting his eyes and bracing himself for some form of attack.

Aster was shocked. What was this guy going on about? Though he was caught off guard, he held his hands up innocently anyway with the hopes that the action would possibly calm the other boy. “Hey, look, I didn’t mean to freak you out. I don’t think you were stupid or that you fucked up, either… I actually came all the way out here to say thank you.” He admitted. “Way I see it, you saved my life. That’s a pretty big deal… And I don’t even know your name.”

The boy’s eyes shot open when instead of hitting him, Aster actually thanked him. This was an unexpected twist. Blinking his bright blue eyes, the smaller camper looked up at the other teen bewildered. “Uh… I… well…” He stammered a bit, looking mildly like a floundering fish before he stopped himself and took a deep breath for composure. “I’m Cain…” He finally said, still sounding rather timid. 

“Cain.” He repeated, a small smile on his face. “I’m Bunny.” He introduced himself, moving his arms so instead of innocently held up there were outstretched and welcoming. “Sorry for making you all nervous. Hug it out?” He offered, a half smile on his face.

Cain’s eyebrows shot up at the offer, “Uh… a hug? I think I’m good…” He declined, not wanting to be rude but also, he knew basically nothing about this guy other than his name. It didn’t help that literally a few seconds ago he had been convinced the other teen was about to beat him up. “But thanks?” He added uncertainly. 

Aster shrugged his shoulders and let his arms fall. “Alright, but I’ll get one before the night’s out.” He said, matter of fact. “Hugs fix everything mate, and that’s not even a come on- It’s just a fact. People need hugs.” 

That drew a small snort from Cain, he then looked a bit shocked at himself for it but continued anyway, “Hugs aren’t a necessity, I haven’t had a hug in years and I’m fine.” He stated, not really realizing how sad that actually sounded.

Aster looked a little shocked at first, realizing immediately just how sad it sounded, and frowned deeply. “You… you’re joking, yeah?  _ Years? _ ” He asked. “Cain… No way you’re fine. You--” He was going to continue but had been cut off by the shorter teen before he could. 

“I  _ am  _ fine.” He snapped then paused, frowning slightly and looking down at the water in front of them, not meaning to sound so harsh. “I’m… I’m sorry, that was really rude…” He mumbled, unable to help but think how his mortal parents would have acted upon hearing him speak like that. “Could we just… Talk about something else? Please?” 

Aster snorted a bit, not looking upset or offended in the slightest. “Where I’m from, if you’re not rude before the end of your first conversation it means you really hate the other person.” He explained. “So…. this is good! But, if you want to talk about something else, we can.” He thought for a moment, taking a seat in the sand and patting the spot next to him as he looked up at Cain. “Sit. Do you like fruit?”

Cain paused as the randomness of the question caught him off guard before he slowly took a seat next to the grey-haired teen, still unsure exactly what to make of Aster. Cain kept his eyes on him as he settled onto the sand. “Um… Yeah, I guess… cherries are good, there were trees in my neighbor's yard growing up.” He admitted. “Do… Do you like fruit?” He asked Aster uncertainly.

“Oh, that’s neat.” Aster replied with a smile, glad Cain decided to sit with him and continue the conversation. When the question was turned back to him, he shrugged. “I mean, I don’t hate them. If I had to pick a favorite I think it would have to be a mango. Speaking of fruit, and I don’t know if you know or not, but the camp grows strawberries.” He added. “There’s a huge field not too far off, on warm days this whole place smells like a little girl’s shampoo bottle.” 

That last comment drew a small smile to Cain’s face. “I kind of noticed that my first day, but it’s been cooler since then.” He noted before pausing kind of awkwardly, figuring he should find some way to continue the conversation. “So… How long have you been here? At this camp?” He asked, glancing up at Aster. He couldn’t help but be curious about the odd teenager.

“At this camp.” Aster repeated. “As opposed to the Roman one?” He joked before seeing the rather confused expression on Cain’s face. It dawned on him that the other boy hadn’t been here long enough to get that yet, “Uh… some years. Two-ish I think.” He answered, before snapping his fingers as he remembered. “Actually, no. Less than that since I was on my own for a few months before a satyr found me.”

Cain nodded, taking in Aster’s every word. It was the first time he had really been able to talk to another camper and ask questions. He didn’t want to miss a thing. “Can I ask who your parent is?” The smaller teen asked timidly after Aster finished figuring out just how long he had actually been there.

Aster smiled, finding Cain’s innocent and almost shy questions downright adorable. “Of course… You know, you don’t have to be so hesitant. You can talk to me.” He added, looking the smaller man in the eyes kindly. “My mother is Demeter.” He added, finally answering the question. “What about you, have you been claimed yet?”

“Oh… sorry.” Cain said apologetically, face turning a bit red when he realized just how pathetic he must have been sounding up until now. Trying to put a bit more confidence in his voice he continued, “Demeter? She’s… the farmer goddess isn’t she?” Cain couldn’t help but cringe a bit at how uninformed he sounded. When Aster mentioned his godly parent though, Cain’s face fell and his tone changed. Whatever walls Aster had been slowly chipping down were back up full force now as he looked away, back at the water. “No. I haven’t.” He muttered shortly. 

The senior camper chuckled a bit and nodded. “Basically, yeah. Grain, agriculture, nourishment, all that good stuff.” He answered with a smile. The smile quickly fell, though, as he saw Cain retreat back into the shell Aster had been working so hard to pull him out of. “Oh, I- sorry. I didn’t realize it was a touchy subject.” He said honestly. “You uh… want that hug now?” He suggested, opening his arms.

The unclaimed demigod glanced up at Aster and couldn’t help but find his insistence on a hug and his continued kindness to be somewhat endearing. He sighed, “Alright I guess…” He murmured, leaning over rather awkwardly into the much larger camper’s outstretched arms while his own injured arms stayed firmly at his sides where they couldn’t be touched.   


Aster started to wrap his arms around Cain until he realized the smaller teen was just leaning on him. “Uh, Cain? I get that it’s been years, but you kind of need your arms to hug.” He prompted gently, voice softer. 

Cain frowned, “Um.. I can’t.” He mumbled, starting to pull back a bit, realizing this was pretty awkward with him not technically returning the embrace. 

A little confused, Aster raised an eyebrow. “Of course you can.” He encouraged, not wanting to force Cain to stay pressed against him but also really not wanting him to pull away. “It’s-” He cut himself off as he looked down and noticed for the first time just how bad the burns on Cain’s arms were. “Oh shit. Guess you really can’t, huh? Come on. Let’s get you to the infirmary.” He instructed, pulling away himself now and starting to stand.

The injured teen hesitated, but only for a moment before nodding and pulling himself to his feet. “Okay…” He agreed quietly, a little nervous about going back into camp since he was convinced that everyone else really did blame him for what went down on Half-Blood Hill. He couldn’t help but be a little afraid of what they might do, but he followed Aster anyway as they trudged through the sand along the water, heading back in the direction from which they came.


	4. Oh, That's Cute! Wait.. wat?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our boys grow closer, and the plot does indeed thicken.

As they walked together in a comfortable silence, following the shore, Aster gradually began to hear Cain’s quick heartbeat more and more. He frowned a bit, his nose twitching, and looked down at his buddy. “I’ll be right there with you.” He promised, thinking the other camper was growing agitated at the thought of being alone again. “No need to be anxious, okay?” 

“How do you know I’m anxious?” Cain looked up at Aster, surprised and a little more anxious now, “Is it that obvious?” He hated how easy a target he sometimes made himself around camp. Maybe Aster could help him fix that.

Aster’s brows furrowed at that, picking up immediately on the fact that his comment had harmed more than helped his companion. “What? Oh, no- I mean… Well, okay, I guess this is going to sound really weird to you since your new and all--” He cut himself off and took a breath. “Yes it’s obvious, but not because of how you look. It’s just that your heart is racing, and it picked up when I pointed it out. Were you worried that I would leave or that I would stay?” He asked, not wanting to make Cain even more distressed than he already was.

Cain was confused for a moment before shaking his head quickly. “I wasn’t worried about anything like that!” He assured. “Although I’d rather you stuck around for the record.” He added before continuing, “I’m just… uneasy about what the other campers might do.” He admitted. “But my concern at this very moment is how you can hear my heartbeat. What’s that all about?”

Aster shook his head. “The others aren’t going to do anything.” He replied confidently, trying to ignore the way his own heart skipped a beat when Cain admitted to wanting him to stick around. “I’ve got good hearing… Really good. It’s kind of a long story.” He admitted with a slightly awkward chuckle. “Would you believe me if I blamed the carrots?”

This caused Cain to raise his eyebrows skeptically, “Not at all.” He said honestly. The smaller teen looked around as they continued to trek through the sand, “We have a pretty far walk so if it’s a long story that’s fine, there’s time.” He looked back at his companion expectantly, waiting for him to explain.

Aster chuckled a bit and scratched the back of his neck. “I guess we do, huh?” He agreed. “So a while back. around the time I first came here people would always prank the new kids. Most of the time it was harmless, but you know teens... things can easily get out of hand. I was walking back to my cabin after the campfire one night and this group of kids threw some sort of vial at me. It shattered and covered me in this weird… potion? Next thing I know I’m a full-fledged rabbit. I hopped away from the kids, who by this point are laughing like bloody hyenas, and into the woods just to try and figure out what the hell was going on. By morning I was human again but with markings on my arms, heightened senses, and the ability to shift at will. That part took some practicing though.” He finally finished, giving the smaller teen a summed up, though still lengthy, version of the events.

Cain listened curiously as the story was told; he was bewildered and shocked by it. “Wait, so the other campers just turned you into a rabbit? How does that even work? Did they know you’d basically have superpowers after? Why doesn’t everyone just do that?” He paused in his line of questioning as something else came to him and a look of confusion crossed his face, “What do you mean by shifting?”

Aster looked a little shocked by the sudden bombardment of questions from the previously reserved teen, though he wasn’t complaining now. “It was never meant to be a permanent change. But… yeah. Why do you think everyone calls me Bunny?” He asked playfully, nudging the shorter camper’s arm, then answered his final question, “I can actually turn into a rabbit. What else would shifting mean?”

While Aster answered his questions Cain was smiling a little more than before, clearly getting more comfortable around the older teen. When Aster nudged his injured arm though he drew back slightly with a soft hiss escaping from between his teeth, “Ow..” He murmured, eyes watering slightly from the sting.

Aster pulled back quickly, eyes wide. “Oh, shit! My bad, mate. You okay? I totally forgot…” He admitted, honestly feeling bad about hurting his friend. In that moment, a thought occurred to him that made him stop in his tracks completely. “W-wait, Cain. Maybe not the best time, but how did you get so badly burned while I have nothing but scratches from the Chimera?” He asked, frowning a little bit and clearly confused. He looked down to inspect his own two, perfectly uncooked arms. 

Cain stopped walking when his friend did and shuffled his feet awkwardly at the question, his face turning a bit pink. “Well uh… Looking back it wasn’t my brightest move… You’re going to think it was kind of stupid I’m sure…” He said slowly, unsure how to make his actions come across as intelligent. “I didn’t have a shield or anything and it was coming right at us so… I kind of just used myself as a shield.” He admitted sheepishly.

Cain’s words made Aster’s jaw drop. He looked at the other teen in the eye for a few moments, taking in the fact that Cain had very nearly sacrificed himself for him, before Bunny launched himself at Cain and tackled him with a hug. The water on the shore splashed up around them as Aster ended up toppling them both over into the ocean due to his enthusiasm. 

As they tumbled into the shallow water Cain let out a surprised yelp, but almost immediately started laughing after the fall. He pushed Aster off him, though there was no malice behind it. “Know your strength, fluffball!” He teased, splashing him.

“Woah!” Aster exclaimed after being splashed, though he was laughing through it all. “Who are you calling fluffball, you… y-you-” He was cut off by another face full of water. He spluttered a bit, spitting it out as Cain spoke, “What was that you were saying?” The younger camper teased with another laugh. Aster splashed him back and stuck his tongue out like the child he was before pausing, brows furrowed in a shocked sort of confusion. “Cain, your arms!” 

There was a brief moment of panic from Cain, realizing just how much the salt water should be hurting his burned arms. His fear was quickly replaced with the same shock and confusion as Aster when he realized he felt no pain… at all.

Cain slowly pulled himself to his feet. Water dripped from his body back into the ocean as he looked at his hands; his bright blue eyes traveled along his arms searching in vain for a single blister. “What…” Before he could finish his thought the young camper found himself bathed in a green glow. Confused, he looked up just in time to see the ghostly green symbol of a trident hovering over his head.


End file.
